Controversy over the move to reduce the prosecution’s investigative authority continued Monday, with both the president and president-elect chiming in on the issue. President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol on Monday broke his silence over the controversial prosecution reform bill, asking the political community to “deeply reflect” on what is needed for the people, as the prosecution continues to vocally oppose the ruling party’s move to strip them of their investigative powers.

Politics April 25, 2022

A miniscule version of the parliamentary elections will be held in June on the sidelines of local elections, as incumbent legislators are to give up their lawmaker seats to run for local administration posts. At least five constituencies are to be up for grabs in the by-elections slated for June 1, and as many as 10 legislative seats are expected to be available for new figures to take over. The opening hints at the possible return of key heavyweights to the main stage and a change in political

Politics April 24, 2022

Parliamentary confirmation hearings for President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s Cabinet picks are to kick off Monday, with Prime Minister nominee Han Duck-soo taking the stand for a two-day hearing. The Democratic Party of Korea, which has vowed a tough vetting for all nominees, is likely to focus on Han’s career after he retired from the public sector. Prime minister is the only Cabinet post that requires parliamentary approval in South Korea. Han’s hearing is to be followed by tho

Politics April 24, 2022

Facing immense opposition from almost all sides, cracks are emerging within the Democratic Party of Korea among its legislators over the controversial prosecution reform bill. Rep. Park Hong-keun, floor leader of the Democratic Party, on Thursday requested a plenary session of the National Assembly to be held Friday to pass proposed revisions to the Criminal Procedure Act and the Prosecutors’ Office Act. The request comes as the party seeks to pass the bill that would strip the prosecutio

Politics April 21, 2022

Busan has invited three major figures from Colombia and Peru for a tour of the city as the southern port city of South Korea looks to host the World Expo in 2030. The city government said Wednesday that Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon invited Tito Jose Crissien Borrero, minister of Science, Technology and Innovation for Colombia; Nicolas Del Castillo Piedrahita, head of Colombia’s National Aquaculture and Fisheries Authority; and Jorge Vicente Martin Munoz Wells, mayor of Lima, Peru, for a tw

Social Affairs April 20, 2022

The leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea has ruled out Reps. Song Young-gil and Park Ju-min from the Seoul mayoral candidate selection, sparking an internal feud over whether it was fair to exclude key figures without undergoing primaries. The internal nomination committee of the liberal party decided late Tuesday to exclude Song and Park from the list of possible nominees in the upcoming local elections, hinting the party will search for another candidate to bear its flag and compete wi

Politics April 20, 2022

The first nationwide meeting of junior prosecutors in 19 years has been called, as the prosecution continues to vocally oppose the legislative push to strip investigative powers from the law enforcement agency, despite growing calls for the ruling party to stop acting against public interest. At 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul, around 150 junior prosecutors from offices across South Korea were scheduled to gather and express discontent with p

Politics April 19, 2022

The leaders of six high prosecutors’ offices gathered on Monday morning to discuss response measures on the Democratic Party of Korea’s legislative push to strip investigative power from the prosecution, continuing the law enforcement agency’s vocal opposition to the controversial move. At 9:30 a.m. at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul, the six senior prosecutors entered an undisclosed meeting held just 10 days after the last such meeting took

Politics April 18, 2022

South Korean lawmakers passed a bill Friday to open a special inspection into a sexual assault case linked to the suicide of an Air Force master sergeant, after a monthslong investigation into the case failed to satisfy the victim’s family. The bill, passed during a National Assembly plenary session on Friday afternoon, will allow the National Court Administration and the Korean Bar Association to recommend a total of four candidates to serve as the lead investigator for the special inspe

Politics April 15, 2022

South Korea’s liberal Democratic Party of Korea officially submitted for review a bill that would completely strip away the prosecution’s investigative powers. Legislators with the Democratic Party told reporters Friday that they submitted a bill proposing revisions to the Criminal Procedure Act and the Prosecutors’ Office Act, which will leave the prosecution only with the power to indict and prosecute charges on given cases. The bill would need to be reviewed by parliamenta

Politics April 15, 2022

A rift may be forming between President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol and transition committee chief Ahn Cheol-soo, raising concerns over the conservative bloc’s party merger and plans for a coalition government. On Thursday, Ahn canceled his scheduled visit to the Seoul Metropolitan Fire and Disaster Headquarters in the morning, after dropping out of a dinner meeting with Yoon and other officials the previous day. Ahn’s recent schedule decisions are fanning speculation that he is showing d

Politics April 14, 2022

Lee Sang-min, who was tapped to serve as the Yoon Suk-yeol administration’s first minister of interior and safety, is a certified lawyer with years of experience serving in local courts and in state-run agencies. The current head of local law firm Kim Chang Lee was chosen to serve due to his ample experience in administrative works despite serving most of his career in the judiciary branch, Yoon said in announcing his pick. Lee joined the legal sector by graduating the Judicial Research

Politics April 13, 2022

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s transition team on Wednesday criticized the Democratic Party of Korea’s plan to deprive the prosecution of its investigative power, calling on the liberal party to stop “destroying the Constitution.” Rep. Yoo Sang-beom, a senior member of the presidential transition committee, told reporters Wednesday that the committee is clearly against the plan to strip the prosecution of its powers, saying the move is directly against the Constitution

Politics April 13, 2022

US President Joe Biden could visit South Korea in late May and hold a summit with incoming President Yoon Suk-yeol just weeks after his inauguration, according to local media outlets Tuesday. Biden is reportedly considering a visit to South Korea shortly after the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue meeting on May 24 in Japan. The four-nation international cooperative is made up of Australia, India, Japan and the US. If confirmed, Biden is likely to be the first foreign leader to officially meet

Foreign Affairs April 12, 2022

South Korea became the 24th government to invite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a livestreamed speech on Monday, as the international community continues to express support for Ukraine’s fight against the Russian invasion. Zelenskyy gave his first virtual speech to the European Union on March 1 and spoke before political leaders of nations including the United States, Japan and Germany before speaking to South Korean lawmakers. Hosting Zelenskyy to speak to political leaders

Politics April 12, 2022